Horseshoes... or Bare Foot?? It's not simply a CHOICE... but AN OPTION that should be made, based on the NEEDS of your horse, not the desires of humans.!! We will help you make the decision of which option is best for your horse. The horse industry has demanded that the care of their horse's feet be approached from new directions. That has created a new wing of the hoof care industry. We are proud to announce that we now ALSO provide bare foot trimming when that approach is advantageous to the specific animal that is in question. Often times, owners report that attempting to go bare foot with their horses, many times, provides poor results. That is because the PROFESSIONAL must be able to determine which feet will do well AND which feet will not do well bare foot. We must take emotions and purely economic considerations out of the equation. Never forget, that if we simply use economics as our guide, we may be penny wise and dollar foolish! Let's face it, shoes have been used on horses for a very long time... they must have their place or they would not still be used around the globe. So let's try to take all the emotion of trying to GO NATURAL out of the equation, and INSTEAD use honest intellect to determine which way to go  so that we are certain that the path we choose is  CORRECT FOR YOUR HORSE.
Probably one of the largest problems with the onset of the current bare foot movement is the overall approach to the idea. In the beginning, well meaning individuals made statements like "shoes are evil" or "Driving nails in horses feet is killing them". When ever that is the approach, it is difficult to over look the positive being brought forth. I remember being taken back by such comments and as a farrier for many years, I instantly shut the idea out. That was then, but this is now. After many years of my own research, I have come to realize that my present approach and that of the better known bare footers, run parallel in many ways. We are proud to say, that now you no longer have to choose one way or the other, when the question is shoes or no shoes!   SO LET'S LOOK AT THE FACTS ABOUT BARE FOOTING HORSES...
FACT.... The vast majority of barefooters have been caring for horses feet for less than 10 years. Should you trust having someone with that little experience overseeing the care of the investment you have in your horse? FACT.... Most barefooters lack the skill and knowledge to properly apply shoes when needed. Should you trust that the person will refer you to a qualified farrier if your horse's feet show signs of requiring shoes? FACT.... Most horse owners report that their farriers become ANGRY and refuse to work with the owners if a barefooter is brought onto the farm's team program. Is it wise to alienate your farrier, just because you want to do the best for your horses?	FACT....Until now, most owners have had to make a choice between going barefoot, or shoeing their horses. Now you can enjoy the ability to have a professional on board that will not FORCE you to make that choice. THE FACT IS..... NOT ONE PROGRAM IS CORRECT FOR ALL HORSES....  SO CHOOSE A HOOF-CARE SERVICE THAT WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE WHAT EVER PROGRAM YOUR HORSE SPECIFICALLY NEEDS!!!! That choice is... MARTIN D KENNY & THE HOOF REDEVELOPMENT CENTER
If your horse's foot can maintain this type of integrity BARE FOOT, then it's working! Note how the bars match each other. They are also relatively straight and standing upright. Also note how the white line area shows no signs of separation and the frog looks healthy and straight. Both bulbs of the heel region are the same size and shape. When the foot is no the ground, the heel angle lines up with the toe angle and lost importantly,the hairline is without major directional changes as it forms the quarters of the foot. If this is the case on both sides of the foot (and too often we forget to look at both sides, when evaluating the foot) then that particular foot may very well be a good candidate for BARE FOOTING. These are some of the major markers we evaluate with each trim, to decide if the BARE FOOT plan is working, or if it is time to apply shoes. HOWEVER... and there very well may be a however when evaluating a horse. Here is the real kicker here... this foot and the one to the right are on the same horse.... So how do you deal with that unless you have a PROFESSIONAL HOOF-CARE Redevelopment SPECIALIST on your TEAM to address this horse with two totally different feet.	Now here is where making the decision to bare foot or shoe, becomes clear ONLY with the proper information to make that intellectual decision, not one based on emotions, or from peer group pressure.  In this foot, (the opposite foot of the horse who's other foot appears in the photo to your left) the white line is torn away and the wall is non-existent on the right.  Neither the sole nor the bars match left to right; the right bar being straighter and further ahead than the left bar. The two bulbs don't match either and appear more elongated than in the foot to the left. With the foot on the ground, we can see minor changes in the straightness of the hairline along the quarter region, and just ahead of the heel, we see where the wall has lost some integrity in the form of chipping. (This correlates with that area on the right side of the sole view) This foot is still capable of withstanding being bare foot, but these are signs that shoes may very well need to be considered in the future. With our services, we can quickly recognize the need for shoes, and apply them as soon as it is determined they are needed. We must remember, just like with your and my health issues, we must rely on educated, intellectual analysis of each foot to determine exactly what protocol to use when caring for the hooves of our horses. We would never consider the advice of our peers over our physicians when deciding major decisions over our health. That should be the same for our horse's foot care.
It's easy to see that this foot (which was shod) was not doing well. There is hemorrhaging (redness, due to leaking from vessels) along the "white line" areas. The hoof capsule is malformed in many direction, as is the frog. There is significant delamination (tearing of the laminae) in the back half of the foot and the bulbs have been driven rearward, due to improper loading of the entire foot. The good news here is that the frog is relatively healthy. It also helped that the bars are relatively straight, and upright and match each other in shape as well as position within the overall hoof capsule. This made this foot a fine candidate for correction using a BARE FOOT protocol. It also helped that this horse was taken out of work, and bred at the same time. To properly evaluate which protocol to use, one must take all factors into consideration, including (but not limited to) work levels, environment, and overall health (such as obesity). Now look at the photo to the right... it is this same foot 4 months later, using OUR BARE FOOT PROTOCOL.	It's easy to see that the foot (4 months later) is showing marked improvement. The foot, nor the frog are distorted The hemorraghing has totally grown out, the delamination has grown out as well. The bulbs have become more erect, and receded back into the confines of the hoof capsule as they were designed to be. This provides the digital cushion above, the ability to properly supply to the foot and to aid in shock absorption. So one asks; WHY DOES THIS WORK ON SOME HORSES AND NOT ON OTHERS? Look at the bars as they run up the sides of the frog on this foot. If these structures are not straight, upright, and the same length (front to rear) then this type of outcome can not be expected. It takes a PROFESSIONAL to determine which type of hoof-care to use on your horses. Trusting a person not equipped to provide which ever protocol is needed for each specific horse (at a very specific time) in question; and you could be looking at undesirable results!